


For Auld Lang Syne

by lowkeytrash



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Idk what this is really, M/M, ambreigns - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-28 19:24:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6342004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lowkeytrash/pseuds/lowkeytrash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's New Year's Eve and Roman wants to watch the fireworks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For Auld Lang Syne

**Author's Note:**

> Just a kinda-fluffy, not-really-college-au that just so happens to take place on New Year's Eve. Not edited or anything, take it for what it is. :D

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” Dean looked up from his bottle of whiskey as Roman opened the door. Roman let out a short, exasperated sigh. His friend was slumped over on the edge of the bed, looking as though he would fall over at any second. It wasn’t an uncommon state to find Dean in.

“The party sucked,” Roman said, stumbling to kick off his shoes. He hopped onto his bed and laid back, his eyes scanning the patterns in the ceiling tiles. “Don’t _you_ have somewhere else to be? It’s New Year’s Eve.”

“Why the hell would I want to ring in the new year with a bunch of people who don’t give a shit about me?” Dean scoffed and took a swig from the bottle that he still clutched in his hands. Roman swore that the other man spent more time drunk than he did sober. Dean wasn’t a nice drunk. He was snippy and easily angered, but it wasn’t usually directed toward Roman. They'd had their fair share of alcohol induced arguments, some of them physical, but Roman generally put an end to the fights before they got out of hand. Roman knew how to keep him relatively calm, something that Dean had admitted on one particularly drunken night. Dean had never mentioned it after the fact, and Roman never chose to bring it up. Roman’s pocket buzzed and he fished out his cell phone, eyes too bleary to bother with reading the text he received. He did, however, take note of the time. 

“Hey, it’s almost midnight,” he said, sitting up slowly. 

“Yeah, so?” Dean lifted an eyebrow and took another long pull of the liquor. Roman grabbed the bottle and pulled it from Dean’s grip.

“So, let’s go try to see some fireworks or something,” Roman said, getting to his feet and offering his hand to his friend. 

“Fireworks? Really, Reigns?” Dean tried his best to look condescending, but there was a sort of hidden spark in his eye. A spark that most people would never notice, but Roman certainly did. He figured it was because they spent so much time together. It was hard not to, considering that they shared a dorm room and neither of them were social butterflies. 

They’d spent their freshman year paired up in the room together, and when sophomore year rolled around, they had chosen to stay put. In part because dorm living was so much cheaper than living off campus but also because they simply didn’t want to leave. The room was cramped and far from glamorous, but it had become their own little nest of privacy and isolation from the outside world. Dean found this fact to be particularly comforting. 

Despite all of his efforts to be a cold-hearted badass, there was a part of Dean that desperately wanted to belong. Desperately wanted to have people care. He had been fortunate enough to find that in Roman, even if he’d never said it out loud. He didn’t want to. Didn’t have to. It would hurt less that way in case Roman ever decided to leave. Still, he felt a warmth and connection to the other man that he hadn’t ever felt before. It was different. It was special.

“Yeah, really, let’s go watch some fireworks,” Roman said, pulling his friend to his feet. Dean swayed back and forth and put out his arms to steady himself. 

“I don’t even have on shoes.”

“I’ll carry you if I have to, asshole.” Roman’s dark eyes narrowed. Dean knew he wasn’t joking.

“Okay, fine, I could use a smoke anyway.” Dean shoved his feet into a pair of worn sneakers, using the wall to keep his balance. Roman chuckled behind him before placing a hand on his shoulder and guiding him out the door. 

Dean made it as far as the stairwell before he collapsed. Of course the elevators were broken, because working elevators would have been far too convenient. Before he could protest, he felt himself being lifted up and cradled in Roman’s arms. 

“Told you I’d do it,” Roman said with a smirk. Dean grunted and clutched onto Roman’s shirt as they descended the staircase. He pressed his face close to the man’s chest and closed his eyes. It was nice being held by Roman. He was strong and warm and comfortable, and Dean couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when they reached the bottom of the stairs. He liked the closeness. Despite the fact that Roman could rip him limb-from-limb if he wanted to, he was such a kind soul. It wasn’t the first time Roman had held him in some capacity. There had been other nights where Dean was too wasted to walk, and there had also been times that he woke up shaking and crying from nightmares only to have Roman slip into bed and wrap his arms around him. Roman put him down gently and Dean pouted, not nearly as subtly as he intended. 

Roman opened the door and stepped outside into the courtyard of the dormitory. Neither man had thought to wear a jacket which, Roman realized, was probably a bad idea. Sure, it never got all that cold in Florida, but there was still a chill in the air.

“Gonna go sit over there,” Dean slurred, pointing to a picnic table. Unsurprisingly, the courtyard was deserted. Most students had gone home for winter break and the ones that hadn't were out at parties like the one Roman had left. As Dean started towards the table, unsteady on his feet, Roman snaked his arm around his friend’s waist and helped him along. Dean sat down hard on the seat and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his jeans. After fumbling with his lighter for a solid minute, he handed it to Roman and leaned forward, cigarette dangling between his lips. Roman gave a disapproving look before he ignited the flame and Dean took a long drag. 

“They're gonna kill you, you know,” Roman said, sitting beside Dean a little closer than normal. He told himself it was because of the cold but he knew deep down that it was something more. 

“Yeah, well, there are a million other things that’ll probably kill me first.” Dean checked his watch. Only five minutes to go.

“Hey, Dean?”

“What?” He tapped ashes onto the ground. 

“Do you remember what you said to me that one time?”

“Gonna have to be a bit more specific, pal.”

“You said that I made you feel calm,” Roman said. He felt his cheeks redden and prayed that it wouldn't be noticeable in the dim light. “You said I made you feel safe.” Dean stiffened and cleared his throat. He certainly remembered that night and how much he regretted letting his vulnerability show. He'd been bent over a toilet, a heaving mess, while Roman sat next to him and rubbed his back. 

“I say a lot of shit when I'm drunk. You know that.” Dean watched Roman’s face fall and felt a sharp pain in his chest. No, he couldn’t push Roman away like this. Couldn’t do that to the only important person he had in his life. “I remember, though.”

“Oh,” Roman said, taken aback. “Well, did you mean it?” He watched as smoke trailed from Dean’s lips. The other man glanced at his watch and then looked Roman in the eyes. 

“Yeah,” he said in a voice that hardly felt like his own. It was so soft and quiet, as though this was the chink in his armor that would be his ultimate demise. But, fuck it, this moment felt as right as any. He decided to bite the bullet. “Hey, Ro?” He flicked his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out with his foot. 

“What?”

“Happy new year.” Dean gripped Roman’s hand, palms sweaty with anxiety.

The sound and sparkle of fireworks filled the night. Flashes of red and green fell on the men as loud crackles and booms echoed in the distance. Dean leaned in and pressed his lips to Roman’s. He could have sworn that his heart would beat right out of his chest. Much to his relief, Roman didn’t pull away. No, Roman actually kissed him back. Roman pulled Dean closer with a gentle tug on his hair. Dean tasted like whiskey and smoke but it was so very... _Dean_. It was always going to end like this, Roman thought. From the first time they spoke, this fire had been slowly building and he’d always known that eventually, they would place pride aside and put their feelings out in the open. Roman pulled away to catch his breath before placing a kiss on his friend’s forehead and hugging Dean tightly to his chest. All of his senses were on overdrive. Finally, things felt the way they should and he couldn't think of anyone else he'd rather be with. 

“Happy new year, Deano.”


End file.
